


In the Dark of The Night

by Morieris



Category: Ever After High
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 03:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6221815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morieris/pseuds/Morieris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a beast stalking the hall of Ever After High. And it takes beasts to catch beasts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Dark of The Night

“You know what we do when we find this thing, right?” The voice growled.

 

“Don’t you call it a _thing._ ” Another voice chided. Rosabella Beauty pushed her glasses up before crossing her arms and frowning at Ramona. “What if someone called you a _thing_ because of your parentage?”

 

A shrug. “Well, I kind of am, Rosie-Posey.” She grinned with all her wolfish teeth.

 

“Guys!” Cerise looked back at them through the gloom of night. “We won’t catch anything but detention if you don’t keep quiet!”

 

A beast had been loose in Ever After High for almost three weeks now. A few short stories had found deep clawmarks in on their dormitory doors. It seemed like a once - off instance of one of the more animalistic students. It would have gone forgotten if the carpets in the west hall had not been shreddy mercilessly by the beast, long, white tufts of hair and dander floating in the morning air when janitorial pixies awoke to their duties.

Headmaster Grimm could not let the matter go unchecked any longer; Favors were called in, and card soldiers were brought from Wonderland - No less than four in each hallway during night hours. The savagery of the beast (and the flimsiness of the card soldiers) had been vastly underestimated, however; After a few nights of calm, no less than twelve of the guards had been found ripped into halves and quarters. Nothing unsalvageable, but they would not be returning to post any time soon.

With not only the Board of Editors and some very high-profile parents watching the matter closely, Grimm opened the floor to suggestions. Cinderella had offered everyone be relocated to their spacious Eco-Friendly castle and various timeshares deep in an enchanted forest, but too many of the classes were too dangerous for someone’s home. There was whispered talk about finding The Evil Queen and asking for her assistance - before The Fairest herself, Snow White, stepped forward and offered her personal bodyguard collection of dwarves to patrol the halls. But there were too few of them to patrol the entire area efficiently.

In the end, it was decided that King Charming’s army would be used. Rotated every two days from their home in the perilously cold Clawkeeper’s Mountain range, these were among the finest fighters in Ever After.

 

“Because not only do I worry about the safety of our alma matter and the history within it - I worry about my children more.” He announced, to flashing lights at a press conference.

 

Curfew was set to 8 PM; Anyone caught outside would be liable to severe punishment.

 

But Cerise was curious, Rosabella was concerned, and Ramona indifferent to rules. So the three of them had crept out, each night, for the past four days.

 

Ramona looked down the hall from which they came. “...Someone’s coming.” She bolted silently past them. Cerise grabbed Rosabella’s hand and pulled her down the silent hall between beams of moonlight from the windows.

 

The other wolf-girl was perched in one of the smaller enclosed staircases at the edge of the hall. Rosabella squeaked as she held onto Cerise, trying not to step too heavily in her heeled boots. Soon everyone was in the shadows of the staircase as they looked from between the narrow slats; a lone guard walked into view, his back to them, and continued.

 

“Can you maybe _not_ leave us behind?”

 

“Maybe if you try to wear shoes for function before fashion.”

 

Cerise peeked through a window to the dark grounds below. She knew they were down there, but currently there were no guards to be seen - “Apples to acorns - look! _Look_!” The pressure of her companions beside her almost made her gasp in the small opening, but she was determined to keep her eyes on it -

 

The great white beast, loping with a painful gait across the lawn. It stumbled before continuing down a marked path in the forest.

 

Ramona sneered. “What a messy thing; Anyone can follow that trail.”

 

“And that’s what we’re to do! It looks like it needs some help, you saw that limp.” Rosabella withdrew and headed back toward the opening to the hall. She took off her boots and held them in her hands before dashing through the hall, on socked feet.

 

“You think that thing would make a cool rug?” Ramona asked nonchalantly to her sister.

 

“Ugh, Mo, that’s too much.”

  


* * *

 

Rosabella _also_ made a messy trail that was easy to follow, easier still by their enhanced abilities. They ended sneaking out of a side door and catching up with her. “Rosabella!” Cerise hissed. “Hold - on!”

 

She made a _Hurry up!_ motion with both hands and continued hopping across the grass. Out of the confines of the halls, both Cerise and Ramona took off at full speed, grabbing Rosabella by an arm and pulling her along. She shrieked before stifling her laughter.

 

The path was covered in heavy paw prints and broken twigs. The beast’s rush through the forest left long strands of fur hanging from branches and leaves. “It might be headed toward the animal keep.” Rosabella dislodged herself from the other two and knelt down towards the ground. “Let’s keep going.”

 

Her hunch proved correct; One of the doors of the stable was ripped open hastily, hanging weakly from hinge. Rosabella went to enter before Ramona pulled her back. “Not so fast, Saving Beauty.” Claws extended, she approached slowly as Cerise backed her up -

 

“It’s okay, ladies! The danger has passed.”

 

Startled, Ramona stopped and threw her arm out to stop Cerise. “What the -”. The group edged forward to see a slightly disheveled Daring Charming leaning on the ground, bits of hay stuck to his track and shield clothing, a glittering sword at his side.

 

He looked up at them. “The beast has been...run off!” He attempted a gallant bow but his head only drooped tiredly. “Nothing to see here! Good night!”

 

“Is it okay? Did you hurt it?” Rosabella looked around. “Where did it go?”

 

“Gone!” Daring panted, eyes darting around nervously.

 

“Can’t be, unless it could fly.” Ramona looked around on the ground. “The tracks go in, but not out.”

 

Cerise ran past them to further within the stable.

 

“Well, I chased it out through the other door - tough bugger it was -”

 

The remaining girls shared a confused look as Cerise returned.

 

“There are no tracks over there either - Daring, what really happened?” She crossed her arms and looked down at him. “You’re a pompous showman, but you aren’t a liar.”

 

He pushed himself to stand, grinning widely. “Seriously, Cerise, it’s just - just.” A sigh. “Oh, alright. I can’t lie any longer -”

 

“The beast is you, isn’t it?” Rosabella cut in, eyes wide.

 

“I’m afraid so.” Everyone looked up as Ramona began to laugh.

 

“Check this out - the golden boy is really a wild animal!”

 

“Oh, stop it - how did you find out?” Cerise said, approaching him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Er, well, my parents told me. Years ago, it’s a _family curse_ type thing. We thought if I stuck to the destiny of Apple’s prince in Snow White, I... wouldn’t fall victim to it. _Oh!_ ” He ended with a dramatic gasp and fell to the ground. “Why _me_? Why not one of my cousins?”

 

Rosabella kneeled beside him. “Come on now, dry those eyes.” She said. “Not a thing wrong with being a beast...whose story are you to be in?”

 

Daring looked at her and said nothing. Her eyes widened. “Oh. Well, in that case, we’d best get better acquainted.” She helped him to his feet.

 

“I beg of you all - please, don’t tell anyone. Not yet.”

 

“Of course not - _right, Ramona?_ ” The other three stared pointedly at her.

 

She scoffed. “Yeah, yeah - dude, you’re bleeding.” Sure enough, there was a sizeable gash alongside his arm.

 

Before Daring could continue with his hysterics, Cerise took out a roll of gauze from a hidden pocket in her hood. “I got this.” Tearing a strip off with her teeth, she proceeded to wrap it tightly around the wound after fetching a piece of gauze.

 

“I’d say let’s head back to the castle, but I don’t think we’re going to get in as easily as we got out.” Said Rosabella.

 

“Not to worry - when these...changes...started happening, I decided to come in here and ride it out. I just happened to be caught this time by the expert tracking of three lovely ladies.” He gestured to the hay. “It’s not comfortable, but we can make up an excuse on our way to breakfast tomorrow.”

 

“Fair enough.” Ramona walked to the farthest side of the pile and lay upon it. She took out her Mirrorphone, plugged in earbuds, and turned up her music. The others sat down together.

 

“Your secret is safe with us. Rosabella said comfortingly.

 

“Don’t worry about her.” Cerise gestured to her sister. “I’ll go after her if she starts getting wordy.”

 

“You?” Daring laughed. “Red Riding Hood, going to tell off the Big Bad Wolf?”

  
“Yep,” She grinned slyly. “Me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Very short because...um, well, I felt like it and...stuff. If you look around, you'll find it.


End file.
